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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
I listened to the audiobook version of this book and it was really interesting! Being from Oregon and travelling to Washington often, it was cool to hear about the places around here where these kinds of things might actually be happening. It is a little bit mystery, little bit relationship drama, little bit confronting your past, and a lot of weird.
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Was so excited about this book. Natural disaster, secret cult, forbidden love. Started promising and went down from there. By the time I was half through I started subtracting stars. That book might be three star book, but I had to take away one more star. My personal disappointment is worth at least that.
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Marrow Island is not as strong as Alexis M. Smith's debut novel (Glaciers), but it's an interesting idea for a story, and the Pacific Northwest setting is evocative and well-integrated into the narrative. The exploration of the possibilities of mycological bioremediation is unique and genuinely thought-provoking.
Ultimately, I struggled to finish this book, both because the second half meanders quite a bit (after a strong opening), and because I found it hard to connect with Lucie Bowen, a protagonist that never manages to develop into a character that I could care about. And the same can be said for pretty much all of the characters: despite the variety of backgrounds and motivations, they just never really manage to take on lives of their own, and are hard to distinguish from each other.
Despite those reservations, I'll be keeping my eyes out for future writing from Alexis M. Smith, since I've enjoyed her other fiction, and Marrow Island is hopefully a minor stumble on her writerly journey.
Ultimately, I struggled to finish this book, both because the second half meanders quite a bit (after a strong opening), and because I found it hard to connect with Lucie Bowen, a protagonist that never manages to develop into a character that I could care about. And the same can be said for pretty much all of the characters: despite the variety of backgrounds and motivations, they just never really manage to take on lives of their own, and are hard to distinguish from each other.
Despite those reservations, I'll be keeping my eyes out for future writing from Alexis M. Smith, since I've enjoyed her other fiction, and Marrow Island is hopefully a minor stumble on her writerly journey.
I really enjoyed the first half of this book; the pacing, the mood & the descriptions were intriguing & compelling. Unfortunately, the second half of the book felt anticlimactic and the final events didn't seem to justify the amount of suspense that led up to them. Overall it was an enjoyable read, especially the prose about the natural world, although the number of descriptions of smells seemed excessive. Also, listening to this on audiobook made it more difficult to keep track of all 3 storylines (confusing because they were all in the same voice from the same character's perspective, but at different points in time.) Still, glad I picked this book up at the library, and the natural world and environmental aspects were interesting to me!
Enjoyable read and let's just say that I got a lot more out of it now that I know about mushrooms than I would have if I'd read it years ago.
So very good. I haven't read her previous book (Glaciers), which I understand is outstanding. This story seems very fresh, with a solid grounding in the Pacific Northwest, both in terms of locations and also environmental issues and history of activism on that front. I didn't want to put the book down, spurred along by the mystery at the heart of the book: just what was happening on Marrow Island?
To say this book is like Station 11 would be a huge lie. Station 11 was one of my favorite books I read last year and so I was excited to read this.
It was slow and hard to get into. I started getting into it about 60% of the way in. Then I got to the end and felt like I was missing a few chapters. Many unanswered questions.
I would highly recommend you take this off your shelf.
It was slow and hard to get into. I started getting into it about 60% of the way in. Then I got to the end and felt like I was missing a few chapters. Many unanswered questions.
I would highly recommend you take this off your shelf.